The Protector
by KKAce24
Summary: Loki's childhood, his innocent life before the tragedy, and his ultimate promise. This is where the fire is started, this is where the flame begins to burn.
1. Prologue: The Funeral

It's eerily silent as the people of Asgard collect slowly around the water's edge, their faces turned down to the small candle cupped in each of their hands. The sky is grey in mourning, and the only sound to be heard is the stiff whistle of the wind as is cuts through the dead branches of a nearby tree. As the people reach the edge they place their candles into tiny boats before setting them in the water and pushing them off in respect and mourning.

There is a larger boat, floating on the water's edge, it's interior filled with candles. Odin and Frigga stand next to it, their heads hung in mourning. Thor stands nearby them as well, though his face is turned towards the distance, looking out at his brother who sits alone by a tree, shrouded from view.

"You will always be in our memory. You were like a daughter to us, we loved you, and you will never be forgotten. May the rest of your days be well," Odin says with a sad but strong voice.

He and Frigga then place their candles into the boat and push it off the shore, watching silently as it floats away, a swarm of tiny individual boats, each with a single candle inside, following behind it as it moves slowly out into the waters.

The people watch the candles float away until they disappear, dispersing afterwards, never saying a word. Odin, Frigga, and Thor stand for a while, staring off into the distance of the ocean, their grief radiating throughout the kingdom. Frigga touches Odin's arm gently, her face turning towards him in sorrow. Nodding, Odin leads them back to their horses.

Loki sits on a rock next to a tall tree, his face pale and sunken in, his expression holding no emotion. He watches the whole funeral from the tree.

Their was no grief left in him, there were no tears, just emptiness, just a hole that had been punched through his chest.

He looks down at the unlit candle sitting on the ground next to the rock, its significance meaningless to him.

"_You said she would be _safe_," Loki cries to his father, the tears running down his cheeks._

Loki clutches his shaking hand, trying to stop it, trying to focus on the cool air seeping into his bones.

"_Her fate had already been predetermined. There was nothing we could have done to stop it," Odin responds in a schooling tone._

Loki closes his eyes, digging his nails into the soft flesh around his wrist.

"_I loved her, Father!" Loki cries in agony, his knees becoming weak._

"_Loki," Odin's voice cracks in pain, "I had no choice."_

Loki opens his eyes and freezes when he sees her standing in front of him, her blue eyes filled with tears, her long black hair flowing weightlessly in the wind, and her pale blue dress clinging to her small body.

He closes his eyes quickly and opens them again to see Sif standing in front of him, wearing a long, dark colored dress, her eyes filled with sadness. He breathes a sigh of relief.

"The night before she... died, she... lent me this bracelet of hers because it matched my dress. I never got around to wearing it, and, I feel guilty for keeping it this long, but I was too afraid to pull it out of the drawer where I had put it... so I... gathered my courage and brought it here with me today, so I could give it to you because... I think you might appreciate it more than I would have."

She holds out the bracelet in front of him, it's small, delicate material wound into a multi-color rope. It was the bracelet that she never took off, one that she had had since the first time he saw her.

Loki slowly reaches out and hesitantly takes the bracelet into his hand. A flash of her laughing face shoots across his vision for an instant before disappearing, leaving him looking down at the bracelet lying in his hand.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss Loki. I know she meant a lot more to you than she did to anyone else," Sif says quietly before walking away to join the Warrior's Three who were waiting for her.

Loki closes his fist with the bracelet inside, the pain and agony beginning to swarm him.

"Laralei," he whispers before pressing his lips to his fist and closing his emerald eyes.

A single tear trickles down his cheek.


	2. The Promise

**_Hey guys! Just to let you know, this story is a prequel to my other story, The Whited Sepulcher, though you don't necessarily have to read that one to understand this. But I encourage it! Another thing, this story will be written in memories. Each chapter is one of Loki's childhood memories so it doesn't flow through time like a normal story does. So I hope you enjoy it! His memories may start out a little slow, since he's just a child, but things get juicy along the way! Enjoy! :)_**

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Her name was Laralei, and she was different. At least that was Loki's initial thoughts of her as he stood in front of her for the first time. Odin stood next to her with a hand on her shoulder, explaining to him and his brother Thor, that she would be staying with them now. Of course Thor was exuberant in his response, introducing himself and rambling on about how she could be the princess he always wanted to save in his childish boy games. Loki however stayed completely silent, evaluating her with his deep emerald eyes.

"I want you two boys to treat her with the outmost respect, and be gentle with her Thor, she is not your new play toy," Odin advised, pointing a finger at him.

And gentle they should be with her, Loki thought. She was so small and frail. Her head barely came up to Odin's hip and her skin was so pale it was practically translucent. He could see her veins twisting and turning and connecting beneath the light layer of flesh. You would barely have to bump her and she would bruise or bleed.  
Her hair however, was long and beautiful and _pitch black, _just like Loki's, which of course made Loki's judgements about her a bit less harsh. She didn't look like the rest of the blonde-haired Asgardians that left Loki the only odd one out.  
And then there were her eyes, deep, blue, and soft, like the ocean after a fierce storm. It was her eyes that hooked him in the first place. They seemed to tell so many stories in one glance, yet he couldn't read her thoughts like he so easily could Thor's. She was a mystery that Loki couldn't just look up in a book and search for, this was something he would have to figure out himself by talking to her and getting to know her.

But he didn't want to.

"Lara, this is my other son, Loki. I think you two are the same age and I'm sure you will both get along very well," Odin says to her, holding out his hand towards Loki.

Loki stiffens instantly, trying to force down the grimace on his face.

"He will warm up to you eventually."

Lara steps forward slowly, reaching out her closed hands towards him, her eyes boring into his. Hesitantly he puts his hand forward to accept whatever is in her hand. She opens her palm and it's empty, so she places her hand on top of his and smiles, squeezing it gently.

Odin laughs as Loki scowls.

"She just wants you to kiss her hand, Loki," Thor teases, laughing as well.

Angrily, Loki turns away and runs down the hallway, disappearing around the corner and sprinting as fast as he can to his room. He slams the door behind him and jumps on his bed, burying his face in his pillows.

Only a few seconds later there's a light tapping on the door and it irritates Loki.

"Go away!" he calls out, his voice muffled from the pillow.

"Prince Loki, I would like to speak with you. It's rather important," a male voice says from outside the door.

The small boy sits up and hops down from his bed before smoothing down his ruffled shirt and hair and answering the door.  
A tall, broad shouldered man stands at the door, his rosy cheeks and blonde hair identifying him as a typical Asgardian. Loki recognized him immediately as one of the members of the diplomatic council.

He crouches down so he's eye level with Loki. "Hello, my name is Raimundus, you may know me as Rai, I'm the Midgardian diplomat for your father's council."

"I know who you are."

He smiles a warm smile. "Good. I don't know if you know this but my daughter is Laralei. You were supposed to meet her... have you?"

Loki nods.

"Very good. Now Loki I want you to understand that she's going to be staying with you and your family for a while here in Asgard until I get some things cleared up in Midgard. Wars have started breaking out all across the land and it's not safe for Lara to stay there right now."

Loki listens intently, his boyish face pulled into a serious, mature expression.

Raimundus gently grabs him by his shoulders. "I know you've seen my daughter, you know how weak she is. Loki she is not well all the time, and she's very fragile. I'm telling you this because there's something I want you to do for me."

Loki nods slowly.

"Loki I want you to watch over her while I am gone. She has maids that will help her, but I want someone else, someone I trust more than the maids. I need someone who I know will protect her and keep her safe no matter what."

Loki's face twists into confusion. "Why me?"

He chuckles quietly, his eyes sparkling. "I've watched you since you were just a baby. You were always so intelligent, and cautious, and very protective of the things you cared about. I need that kind of person to take care of my little girl."

Raimundus lets go of his shoulders and holds out his hand for Loki to shake.

"Promise me you'll watch over her while I'm gone? No matter the circumstances?"

Loki stares at his hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it in agreement. Smiling, Rai stands up and puts his hand on Loki's shoulder.

"You're a good boy, Loki. You're someone who I'd follow one day. I think you'd make a great king."

And with that, Rai walks away, leaving Loki standing in his doorway, watching as the nice man with rosy cheeks leaves.

Running back into his room, Loki grabs his formal attire and throws it on himself, struggling to tie the strings on his jacket fast enough. His small hands grab his sword belt with his miniature wooden sword sitting snuggly in it's sheath.  
He sprints out of his room and runs down the hallway, almost bumping into three servants and guards on the way. He finally reaches the small balcony overlooking the courtyard and searches the crowd of horses and people for Raimundus.

He spots him, crouching down in front of his horse.

"Daddy!" a girl's voice rings out across the courtyard.

His head turns as the small girl runs towards him, her head bobbing and her black hair bouncing.

He laughs and opens his arms as she jumps inside them, hugging him tightly. Loki listens and watches intensely.

Rai pulls her back and smoothes her hair away from her face.

"Lara darling, I don't want you to be afraid, alright? Daddy may not always be with you physically but he'll always be right here, in your heart," he says as he places a finger on her small chest.

"Daddy loves you, Lara. He's only going to be gone for a while. Allfather Odin and Queen Frigga are going to take care of you now, alright? You be good. Make your father proud honey," he says softly to her as he hugs her tightly against him, burying his face in her hair.

"I love you Daddy," she murmurs back to him before he pulls away and climbs onto his horse.

One of the maids grabs her by the arm and pulls her back away from the horses. Several other men mount horses as the large kingdom gates open up to the village.

Odin's eyes and Raimundus' eyes make contact for a moment before the men ride off on their horses, never looking back.

Loki's eyes flicker down to the small girl that walks slowly beside the maid that leads her away, her face turned back to the gates as she longingly stares out into the distance where her father rides away.

He suddenly feels a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and he looks up to see his mother, smiling down at him. He smiles back at her, then gazes back to the setting sky where Raimundus travels in the distance.

Loki leaves the balcony before he can see the needle begin to spin, the bridge opening up to allow the men transportation into Midgard.

But it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, he was a silent protector now, and he had a promise to keep.


	3. Pulchritudo

_**Special thanks to Ellize Avalon for being the first to review! I hope you enjoy the story!**_

_**Some of these chapters in the beginning will be more of information chapters, so they may not be as interesting, but the info is crucial to the rest of the story. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! The more reviews the merrier! :) **_

_**K**_

The group of friends race down towards the pond, their squeals of glee and joy echoing through the kingdom. As they grow nearer, they strip their clothes, never slowing down as they hop and skip out of their boots and trousers.

"I win!" Thor cries out as he launches himself into the water, creating a monstrous splash as the others pile in after him.

Loki slows to a stop before he reaches the water's edge, his body still fully clothed.

"Come on Loki! Get in!" Fandral cries out, attempting to splash him with water.

Loki takes a pronounced step back, dodging the water. His face scrunches into a frown.

"I'd rather not."

They pester him for a while before they get distracted, losing interest and beginning to play amongst themselves.

"You don't like to swim?" The girl with long black hair is suddenly standing next to him, her soft voice surprising him.

He looks down at her, trying to hide the surprise on his face. "I'm not fond of it."

A warm smile spreads across her face. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

He looks away from her, watching the others dunk each other. "You didn't."

Before he realizes it, she's holding out her closed fist in front of him again, just like she had earlier.  
For some reason this angers him and his eyes flash quickly to hers, a glare on his face. But he glares into her same warm smile, as she obviously is not moved by his dissatisfaction.  
She waits patiently for him to give in and hesitantly touch her hand. As he does, it opens up, and in a flurry of motion, several tiny black birds erupt from her palm, flying about around them, the soft flutter of their wings tickling his hearing. He watches fascinated as they fly higher into the sky, exploding into black dust as they hit the strong rays of sun.

"Pulchritudo," she mutters softly, lowering her hand to her side.

His face twists into confusion as he turns towards her once again.

"My father taught me that word. It means beauty, in Latin," she says matter-of-factly.

He grabs her small arm and leads her to the nearby tree, out of the earshot of the others. He looks back as they stop.

"You know how to use magic? he asks.

She nods with a smile on her face.

He stares into her calm blue eyes. "Where did you learn that?"

She thinks for a moment, biting her lip. "When I was just four. One night it came to me, from the sky."

He lets go of her arm. "That kind of magic is forbidden in Asgard. You cannot use it at all. Ever. Do you understand?"

Her brows furrow in confusion. "Is not all magic the same?"

"No."

Her eyes fall to the ground in shame.

"Though all magic is forbidden in Asgard. Even the kind I myself have seemed to acquire."

Her eyes flutter back to his.  
It's strange in that moment, as she stares back at him, the shadows that dance across her face create a darkness about her, or maybe just enhance something that is hidden. The pallidness of her pale skin, and the black under her eyes. The air about her is almost chilling, as though in the shade of the tree, where the sun cannot touch, she changes. She doesn't move as she stares at him, her eyes full of curiosity.

He takes a step back away from her.

"Loki! Thor! It's time for supper!" A servant of the kingdom says as he rides down the path on a horse towards them.

This seems to snap them both out of their trance. The girl with black hair steps into the light and the eerie presence of the dark is gone, the rays of sun illuminating her translucent skin.  
The other children run out of pond, splashing and laughing and soaking wet as they try to put their clothes back on.

"Race you back to the top!" Thor cries, taking off.

Sif snorts, her short blonde hair stuck to her small head. "You wish!"

Loki gives the girl one last glance before turning on his heel and racing after them.

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She doesn't come to eat with them. In fact Loki had not a clue where she had disappeared to. Had something happened to her? With her weak body, he was worried that running all the way back up to the castle had been too strenuous for her and she had been left behind. But no else seemed concerned she was missing.

"Tomorrow we should practice on our sword skills, so when I grow up and become king, I can slay them all!" Thor cries, swings his arms in front of him as he shoves a piece of bread in his mouth.

Loki watches silently, his mouth drawn tight as the others argue and yell, their voices erupting in the large spacious room. Thor's eyes meet Loki's, and they smile at each other, both remembering the story their father had told them in the vault.

After supper, they disperse to their rooms in the castle, each whispering and joking about sneaking out later. Loki however, decides to search for the girl, the strangeness of earlier in the day itching his curiosity.

He soon finds her in the gallery, a small room filled with pictures of ancestors and gods. She stands in front of a painting of Odin, his powerful stance defining his rule over the kingdom.

"Do you not like to eat supper?" Loki asks as he slowly approaches her from behind.

She doesn't turn around. "I'm not fond of it."

He stops right behind her, looking up at the picture with her.

"Your father's a powerful god," she says.

"Yes."

"He fears nothing."

"Nothing."

She turns her face towards him just enough so that he can see the corner of her eye, which glimmers in humor.

"My father once told me that sometimes you can love someone so much that you have to stay away from them because it's safer. Because love is so powerful, it can hurt people."

He's slightly taken aback at the randomness of her statement, but he doesn't comment. She looks back up at the painting.

"When I was just a baby, my mother left me on a porch with a note telling whoever lived there to take care of me, because she could not. That porch happened to be that of a man named Raimundus, who was actually an Asgardian god disguised as a human. He took me in and cared for me as his own, telling me all about a far away kingdom known as Asgard. I dreamed many times of this glorious place.

"I never knew of my mother until I began seeing other children like me with more than just a father. It was then that Rai told me the truth of how my mother left me in his care because she loved me too much. I'm more mature now. I'm almost thirteen, and I know what death is. I know now that my mother is dead."

Loki watches her expression, curious at how it stays the same, unmoved by the evident tragedy of the story. But then again, he realized in that moment that she had no reason to be sad. She had a loving father, and even though her mother was dead, she had never met the woman, so she wouldn't of had any emotional connections to her that would have been severed.

"Do you wish you had met her?" he asks softly.

"No. When someone loves you so much that it's dangerous, I believe that they should stay away forever, and that's what my mother did."

A small smile plays on his lips. "I'm curious. How much love must you have for someone for it to become dangerous?"

She turns to face him full-on. She does not smile. "More than anything imaginable, for you must be willing to sacrifice yourself for them to live."

His smile fades.

"Do you fear death, Loki?"

Before he can answer, three maids step into the room, calling out the girl's name.

"Lara we've been looking all over for you! It's time for you to return to your bed chambers! Forgive us Prince Loki, but we must take her away now," the tallest maid says to him, bustling over and taking the girl firmly by the arm.

He watches silently as they all quickly bow before sweeping her quickly out of the room.

Her eyes never leave his as they leave.


	4. The Predator

**idefyu: Thanks so much for the review! I much appreciate the interest you have taken in this story. If you have an questions or anything let me know! Thanks for being one of the first fans!**

_**Enjoy(: rate & review!**_

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Loki sits at a table by himself in the library, engrossed in a book his master, Anundr, had recommended he read. Class was soon to start and he knew his brother and friends would soon join him. Sometimes Loki did not understand why he had to take these classes. Everything his master taught Loki already knew from the books that he read.

"Do you mind?" a soft voice asks him, snapping him out of his trance.

His eyes flicker from his book to see the girl, standing in front of him, books in her arms, motioning to the empty seat next to him, which was filled with stacks of his own books.  
He closes his book and grabs the rest of them, sliding them across the table with a slightly annoyed look on his face.

She smiles as she sits down next to him.

"Thank you."

He mutters something incoherent.

Anundr steps in front of the many tables, now filled with loud children, and clears his throat.

"Students! Students, please settle," he orders, waving his arms in attempt to silence them.

"What will we be learning about today Master Anundr?" a small girl calls out.

He takes off his spectacles and smiles warmly. "How about we take a break from the norm and have a small history lesson?"

Another student gasps with delight. "Like story time?"

Anundr's eyes flash to the student with a glare. "No, a _history _lesson."

Loki eyes him curiously, surprised that his master would stray from the strict curriculum set by Odin, his father.

Anundr's eyes begin to sparkle with excitement. He pulls out a large picture and places it on the stand next to him. The picture is of a creature, a monster, it's gnarled and hairless body twisted into a crouch, it's eyes yellow and it's teeth sharp.

"Anyone have any idea what this is?" he asks, looking around at the student's faces.

"Is it a wolf from Niffleheim?"

He shakes his head. "Let me start with the beginning of their existence. Millions of years ago, almost to the time of the reign of the titans, in the realm of Niffleheim, Hela, ruler of the dead, became distracted and lazy, and instead of keeping the balance between the dead and the living, let people who should have died, live. You see, this is very important. Everyone has a fate, and if they do not die when they are supposed to, many other innocent people die. Being ruler of the dead and keeping track of this was not easy for Hela to do alone. So in an attempt to mend the balance, she created a creature, neither dead nor alive, made only with the power to kill. These creatures were immortal and could not be killed. They coul take any shape they please, become any creature in all the nine realms they wish. They could become apart of villages and communities, blending in, learning behaviors from others, and then when master calls, they hunt down their prey, and kill them."

Loki leans forward, listening intently as Anundr pauses for a breath.

"They are known as the ultimate predator, with all the strength, all the speed, all the senses, and all the cunning to capture their prey and kill them. Predators were created to be invincible and unable to be defeated. Well, so goes the legend."

"Do they still live today?" Thor calls out, a wicked smile across his face.

Anundr turns quickly towards him. "Of course not. Death decreed herself that all be destroyed and none be left alive. To keep one would be breaking a law set by the undead, in which the punishment would be certain, unimaginable pain."

"I do not understand," Hogun says, "if she created them, why would she want to destroy them?"

"Aye," Anundr agrees, "and so I finish my story."

Loki looks over at the girl next to him, watching her expressionless face.

"After a while, after the balance had been restored, it began to tip again, this time in the opposite direction. Because Hela released the predators of their servitude, they no longer had a her as a master and then were enslaved by very bad men, becoming heir masters, who used them to kill many innocent people, and people who were not meant to die. You see, this was a very bad thing, because no longer would they answer to Hela's call so not even their creator could stop them. The Mistress of Death, ruler over Hela, became furious with such foolishness. There was only one thing they could do. The Mistress of Death took control and sent out her five personal servants, known then as the Hunters, to track down every predator and retrieve their souls before sending them down to Hel to be destroyed. Slowly, the extinction of the predators began, and Hela learned one very hard lesson."

The room is silent as Anundr places another picture on top of the one of the Predator, this one of one of the Hunters. A black horseman, atop a large black horse with beady red eyes and sweat matted skin. The man, shrouded in black cloaks is pulling sharply on the rains, his face obscured by the black hood atop his head, and the only thing showing is his bare hand, skinless, with long sharply pointed bony fingers.

"Even though the Predators no longer exist, the Hunter's do, and are only used to find someone or something regular men cannot.

"However I take my previous statement back. Legend has it that one Predator survived the extinction, and still lives today, though no one has ever seen it, or really known of it's existence. Some say it was the first Predator created by Hela, so she spared it. Others say it out-smarted the Hunters and has been hiding from them ever since. But no one knows, and it is irrelevant to the history of these nine realms."

"Well, if it did still exist how would be able to tell who it is?" Thor asks eagerly.

"You don't. That's the point. Only the Hunters are able to tell."

Thor slumps into his chair, upset.

"But no worries little king, there are more imminent troubles that confront you than silly old tavern tales."

"How can the Hunter's tell?"

"Every predator has a special black marking placed somewhere on their skin. This marking gives out a signal when called by it's master, making it turn red and burn hot. The Hunters can feel this, even if they are realms away, and they are instantly drawn to it's power."

"But if it turns red, can't we see it too?"

"We cannot see it. Do we have eyes like the Hunters? No. Only they can see it."

"Has Odin ever had to fight a predator?"

Anundr laughs. "I would hope not. Predators were extinct way before his time. Though he has probably heard stories of them. But students! We are out of time! Tomorrow we will continue with our regular curriculum. Today was just a small break."

The students gather their things and begin to leave. Anundr walks over to the table where Loki and the girl sit.

"Prince Loki, how are you enjoying my selection?"

Loki smiles. "It is quite interesting Master Anundr, it intrigues me so. But why did we learn of such silly things today? It was not our usual lesson."

"Oh they are not such silly things my boy, they are history, they are something we should all know about."

The girl pipes in. "How do you know so much about them?"

"Ah, Lady Lara, forgive me for not acknowledging you earlier. The answer to your question lies in these books," he says, motioning to the hundreds of shelves of books surrounding them.

"But surely books cannot tell you everything," she counters.

He smiles. "No, they cannot. But they can tell you as much as I told you today."

"That's not all you know, is it?" Loki butts in, one eyebrow raised.

Anundr looks at the desk. "Curious minds can be a problem can't they? Yes I do know more, but those things I can not utter in this room."

"Why not?"

"Because they are not to be spoken, my prince!" he whispers angrily. "Whether you like it or not, there is still evil out there that is drawn to things even as simple as muttering a word in the forbidden language."

"Does it have to do with magic?" Loki asks quietly.

"It has to do with a lot more then just magic. There will come a time when people like you will have to be told, but it is not that time. Please don't badger me more about the matter, is there anything else you wish to seek?"

Loki shakes his head.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow then?" he says excitedly, putting his glasses on before hobbling away.

The two young students stand and leave the large library.

"I wonder what it is he speaks of that could be so ghastly that he could not recite it in the kingdom," the girl comments as they walk side by side through the hallways.

Loki shrugs. "I read once that there was an ancient language of the titans that has not been spoken since their fall. It was perceived that if one was to speak it, it could bring out ancient creatures that could destroy all the land."

"I suppose this world has many secrets then?"

"Or past events and memories meant to be forgotten."

The girl smiles softly. "Then let us bask in the peace we have now."

And for perhaps the first time, Loki actually began to grow fond of the girl. The girl named Lara.


	5. Black Magic

"You do realize what kind of magic you posses, do you not?" Loki says to Lara as they sit together out under a small apple tree, distant from the rest of the orchard.

Lara looks down at the large red apple in her hand before taking a large bite out of it. "I suppose not."

"I did some studying on it. I believe you have... black magic, Lara," he says softly, as if he was afraid someone would hear.

She chews for a moment before answering. "Is that a bad thing?"

Loki shrugs as he picks up an apple from the small basket at their feet. He turns it several times in his hand, marveling at the way it shone in the sunlight.

Lara leans her head back against the tree and closes her eyes.

"My father should be returning soon. It has been a long time now. I am a teenager now, and he promised he'd come back for my eighteenth birthday."

Loki leans his head back as well, but turns it so he can watch her. Her body had filled out more, her skin looked stronger and her bones thicker, though she was still dangerously fragile. Her simplistic beauty entranced Loki, though he did not love her. As of now he found himself spending more time looking at Sif than any other girl in the kingdom. Perhaps he loved her. His heart would pound every second he was around her. He thought Lara might have noticed, but she never said anything about it.

"And will you return to Midgard when he comes back?" Loki asks her.

She sighs, a conflicted look spreading across her face. "I do not know. I quite like it here. I may not fit in completely, but I fit in more here than I do there. I will know when the time comes, I assume. My father always knows what to do."

Loki wanted to tell her that he would miss her greatly if she left. She was the only real friend he had, even more than his brother. They were both sort of outcasts. She understood him better than anyone else in the kingdom. He regretted trying to dislike her when she first came. But he couldn't help it, she looked so fragile and weak, and he assumed too early that she, like almost everyone else here, would only find good company with his brother Thor.

"I feel healthier here," she murmurs quietly as the wind brushes a strand of hair across her face.

"Why are you not well, Lara?" he asks.

"I don't know," she replies, opening her eyes and turning her head so that they are staring at each other. "The healers here tried to cure me when I first arrived, but they could not. They said it had something to do with my heart. I used to have attacks all the time when I lived on Earth, but since I've gotten here, I haven't had one yet. I feel stronger here."

"What kind of attacks?"

She frowns. "I cannot explain. They are very frightening. They scare me a lot."

"Then it is good you haven't had any here in Asgard."

She smiles and nods. "Yes, very good."

She turns her head and closes her eyes again, basking in the shade of their small apple tree. They both sit, shoulder to shoulder, relaxing in the peace of the small orchard and light. If he were to freeze this moment forever, Loki would. This sort of peace would never stay forever.

Opening his eyes, Loki uses his magic to make leaves that scatter the ground turn into butterflies that begin wildly fluttering around them. Lara opens her eyes and giggles with glee as they swirl around, making patterns and shapes in the air. She lifts up her hands as they ascend in the air and fly higher into the sky, floating back down as simple leaves. Some get caught in her long black hair as they fall, but Loki doesn't pick them out. He likes the way they look in her hair.

"I wish my magic could do that," she whispers quietly as her excitement fades.

"Perhaps I can teach you," Loki suggests, making one of the fallen leaves a butterfly again. It lands softly on her finger. It's wings move slowly up and down. She smiles.

"But if you believe my magic is dark, it could not do something as beautiful as this."

Loki shakes his head. "Sometimes the dark is more beautiful than the light."

She leans her head on his shoulder, smiling.

* * *

"I want you to imagine the happiest memory you have ever had. I want you to absorb it, become it. In fact, pretend that you're reliving that memory again," Loki instructs as he stands behind Lara in the training room.

She closes her eyes, furrowing her brow in concentration. He places his hands on her shoulders.

"Do you have that memory?"

Her face relaxes and she nods.

"Good. Now imagine something you think is beautiful, but keep that memory still alive in your mind. Feel this object in your mind and in your hand. Remember when you showed me that creature? Remember how you did that, but fill it with your happiness; make it turn to light."

She closes her fists, and when she opens them, a small horse stands in her palm, bright and blue like the power of light. He smiles.

"Look, you did it," he whispers, and when she opens her eyes, she sees it.

Though it is only for a fraction of a second, because instantly it turns black and it's eyes a burning red. It screams and leaps off her hand. She panics, her eyes wide with fear as it grows to become large. It sprints around the room with it's screams.

Loki pulls her away from it's rearing hooves and frightening screams. She covers her eyes with fear as a figure forms on top of it. It's hooded head and stooping shoulders suddenly remind Loki of the picture of the hunter Anundr had showed them in a lesson long ago. The air becomes cold, so cold, he can see his breath billowing in a white cloud in front of him. It's so cold it hurts.

It screamed, the hooded creature atop the horse, a deafening, terrifying scream that sends cold chills up and down Loki's spine. It's long fingers reached out towards Loki, and he could not move away from them. With Lara cowering behind him and being frozen with this sudden blast of pure fear, he watched as the fingers drew closer to his neck.

And then, suddenly, a light in the darkness.

"I, Odin Allfather, declare the power of the light! Get thee hence!" a powerful voice says from above.

The hooded figure turns towards him, deafening screams filling the room as the light consumes it, causing the darkness to dissipate in front of him.

"Loki Odinson!" Odin orders firmly as soon as the darkness fades and the sunlight from the high windows return.

Lara creeps out from behind Loki as he is suddenly able to move his limbs again. He swallows, straightening a bit.

"Father," he says hesitantly, expecting immediate scolding.

"Are you alright, my son?"

Loki looks up at him. "Yes father."

"What brought this in here?"

Loki's eyes flicker to the ground before casting a glance in Lara's direction. She bows her head in shame. She is about to confess when Loki speaks up.

"I was fooling around with magic father. It was an accident, I didn't mean for it to come here, I had no idea."

Lara's head snaps up to stare at Loki in confusion.

Odin walks down the steps towards him, his face stern.

"Loki, you know the rules in our kingdom. Magic is forbidden. Perhaps you didn't understand before, but now you do. This is what happens when you aren't careful and do not have enough control. The darkness can so easily overtake you."

Loki nods in shame.

"Lara, are you alright?"

She nods quickly, but doesn't speak. Odin turns back to Loki.

"I don't want to have this trouble again, do you understand?"

Loki nods. "Yes father."

Odin claps his son on the shoulder and squeezes gently. Loki looks up to meet his eyes. A small smile tugs on Odin's lips, and he winks at Loki before turning away and leaving.

As soon as he disappears from the room, Lara begins to cry.

"Loki, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, it's never done that before. I'm so sorry!"

He grabs her by the shoulders gently and lightly shakes her. "It's ok Lara! Don't cry! It's not your fault, it was mine. I shouldn't have tried to force your magic to do that so quickly. These things take time. It was my mistake. Please, do not cry, my friend."

She sniffles quietly. "You lied to your father for me."

He shrugs. "What does one small lie hurt? Besides, this isn't the first time I've gotten in trouble for my magic."

She smiles. "I suppose it doesn't hurt anyone."

"Of course not. Let's just take things a little slower next time, and maybe I won't have the need to lie again."

They both chuckle softly.

Later that night, as Loki gets ready to go to bed, the events of the day begin flooding his thoughts. He had never been so frightened before. Even though the thing wasn't the real Hunter Anundr had talked about, it was still just as frightening. He could still feel his body go cold from it's presence. What had drawn it here? Simple black magic could not have produced that sort of creature. He knew black magic could bring those sort of things to being, but it took sophisticated, well studied, and more complicated magic to do it. Producing that thing could never of happened with just beginner magic. Something else had happened. Maybe there was already something dark in the kingdom that had drawn that kind of darkness here, and the simple use of black magic was an easy way to get in. He didn't know, but as he closed his eyes to sleep, he could still feel the bitter cold and hear the terrifying screams of the Hunter.

Little did he know, this event would be life changing.

**_I never saw Odin as this terrible father as some people thought he was depicted in the movie. I honestly believe Odin loved Loki just as much as he did Thor, Thor was just eldest. That's why I depict Odin as a very loving, strong father figure in Loki's life because I believe Loki truly did love his father. Anyways, excuse my little spiel there. I just had to. Hope you enjoyed! Rate and Review :)_**


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